By Faith -- By Believing
All of the people listed in the last few teachings of Hebrews 11; Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham looked forward to the messiah, they embraced the promises, were persuaded, confessed the promises in all circumstances. They confessed that they were pilgrims, only passing through. They looked forward to the coming of the redeemer, the messiah, Jesus Christ. By faith--believing--we look forward to the return of Christ. We can embrace God's promises and live with power by believing.
When confronted with the trials of life we can rest in the knowledge that Christ will return and we shall be caught up in the air and be forever with him. So I say to myself at times, "What difference does it make? We are just passing through."
Hebrews 11:14
For they that say such things declare plainly
that they seek a country.
:15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came
out,
they might have had opportunity to have returned.
:16 But now they desire a better country,
that is, an heavenly:
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God:
for he hath prepared for them a city.
:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried,
offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises
offered up his only begotten son.
:18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
:19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead
from whence also he received him in a figure.
:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
:21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying,
blessed both the sons of Joseph;
and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
:22 By faith Joseph, when he died,
made mention of the departing of the children if Israel;
and gave commandment concerning his bones.
:23 By faith Moses, when he was born,
was hid three months of his parents.
because they saw he was a proper child;
and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
We ask ourselves, "How did they know he was 'a proper child'"? God must have told his parents that Moses was going to accomplish great things. Armed with God's promises, Moses parents weren't afraid of the Kings commandments, even though the king was very powerful, they saw the promise of God bigger and more powerful.
Hebrews 11:
:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God,
then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt:
for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Moses had it all (royal family, the highest education available, unlimited credit cards, country club life style, fashionable clothes, jet set friends, never needed to work, the family's middle name was "bank"--the only one in the land) but he chose God's promises, he had respect for the long-term view of the promise. He saw the blessings, recompense and reward as greater than the benefits of living in Pharoah's palace.
Now, just because we are Believers doesn't mean we must live a secluded life not associating with unbelievers. There are other people like Daniel. He continued to live in the house of Nebuchadnezzar his whole life and God told him to remain there. Also, Joseph believed God and lived in Pharoah's house even to the end of being instrumental in saving the Christ line and Egypt from starvation. So just believing God doesn't mean you have to go live in a tent somewhere. God knew the best place for these people to be, He'll know the best place for us. The revelation to Moses was to get out of town, we don't copy that specific revelation, we believe God's Word and God will prosper us like them.
:27 By faith he [Moses] forsook Egypt,
not fearing the wrath of the king:
for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
The king of Egypt was the most powerful in this era. But Moses believed God and had no fear of the King. "Seeing him who is invisible," is a great figure of speech only in the mind is this possible. He could physically look at Pharoah who was powerful with huge armies and wealth compared to God who he couldn't see yet his love for God so lived in his heart that it was bigger than what he could see by his five senses. He knew God by what he was taught from his mother who was nursemaid to him in Pharaoh's house. The knowledge of God was passed down through the generations by the teachings of the father of the family. The Word had not been written down yet, Moses did that later, he learned from his mother who was taught by her father and husband, and he learned by revelation from God. His love for God instilled in him by his parents allowed him to see Him who is invisible.
You see, atheists have no invisible means of support to their unbelief. The Egyptians did not have the promises of God. All they had was their five senses, which was pretty mighty. But, when God started acting for His people they had no understanding nor recourse. For us, God makes a promise and we prove Him by believing it. It is God's responsibility to figure out how to bring it to pass in the five senses world. We can have faith--believing--for we can see Him who is invisible.
Today we are confronted with situations that keep us from manifesting the more abundant life that God has designed for us. The Word of God must so live in our hearts that it is bigger than what we can see by our five senses. We have an edge with Christ in us, that incorruptible seed that gives us the ability to manifest holy spirit via the nine manifestations. We have this constant reminder that it is Christ in us the Hope of glory and we have the written Word. We have more tools to help us know God, love Him and believe His promises.
Romans 7:
22 For I delight in the law of God after the
inward man.
:23 But I see another law in my members, [the natural five senses man]
warring against the law of my mind,
and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin
which is in my members.
:24 O wretched man that I am!
who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God;
but with the flesh the law of sin.
It is a a battle to maintain the Word in our minds for we are confronted with the old man nature; the nature of the sinful man influenced by the world. But we must keep the Word of God and it must so live in our hearts that it is bigger than what we can see by our five senses.
Back to Moses:
Hebrews 11:
:28 Through faith he kept the passover,
and the sprinkling of blood,
lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
:29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land:
which the Egyptians assaying [trying] to do were drowned.
Faith in what? Faith in the promises that God made to Moses and Israel. They believed what God said. What are the promises that God has made for us? I will give you one--look for more.
I Corinthians 15:
:50 Behold, Now this I say, brethren,
that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;
neither corruption inherit incorruption.
:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery;
We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed,
:52 In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.
:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality.
:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,
and this mortal shall have put on immortality,
than shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory,
:55 O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory?
:56 The sting of death is sin;
and the strength of sin is the law.
:57 But thanks be to God,
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be ye stedfast,
unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the
Lord.
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Teachings that will follow will elaborate on each of the Old Testament Believers. We will look at their lives and culture and their stand before God.