Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / May 27 - Hebrews 11

Transcript

May 27 - Hebrews 11 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Tuesday.
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  It's the 27th of May. And I was fascinated to read
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  that four years ago today, a terrible tragedy struck the
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  world as reported by Argentine News Channel 26, that William
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  Shakespeare died after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
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  That's right. He may have actually died in
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  1616. But no, that will not stop some
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  news channel reporting something that way out as little as four
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  years ago. You can imagine the editor
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  looking back over the news of that day going, how did that
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  slip through? But yes, yes friends, good idea
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  just to double check everything we hear in the news as we
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  struggle to find things that we know can be trusted as truth.
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  However, what a brilliant segue as we move forward into today's
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  Bible reading, which is of course inspired by God's Spirit,
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  inspired by the one who not only tells us the truth, but who is
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  truth. So friends, let us crack open
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  our Bibles for this truth to enter into our hearts and shape
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  our day as we read together Hebrews Chapter 11.
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  Faith shows the reality of what we hope for.
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  It is the evidence of things we cannot see.
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  Through their faith. The people in days of old earned
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  a good reputation. By faith we understand that the
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  entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now
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  see did not come from anything that can be seen.
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  It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable
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  offering to God than Cain did. Abel's offering gave evidence
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  that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his
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  gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he
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  still speaks to us by his example of faith.
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  It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without
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  dying. He disappeared because God took
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  him, for before he was taken up he was known as a person who
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  pleased God, and it is impossible to please God without
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  faith. Anyone who wants to come to him
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  must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who
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  sincerely seek him. It was by faith that Noah built
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  a large boat to save his family from the flood.
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  He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never
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  happened before. By his faith, Noah condemned the
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  rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that
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  comes by faith. It was by faith that Abraham
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  obeyed. When God called him to leave
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  home and go to another land that God would give him as his
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  inheritance, he went without knowing where he was going.
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  And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived
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  there by faith, for he was like a foreigner living in tents.
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  And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.
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  Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal
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  foundations, a city designed and built by God.
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  It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child.
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  Though she was barren and was too old, she believed that God
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  would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from
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  this one man who was as good as dead.
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  A nation with so many people that like the stars in the sky
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  and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.
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  All these people died still believing what God had promised
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  them. They did not receive what was
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  promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it.
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  They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on
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  earth. Obviously, people who say such
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  things are looking forward to a country they can call their own.
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  If they had longed for the country they came from, they
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  would have gone back. But they were looking for a
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  better place, a heavenly homeland.
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  That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He
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  has prepared a city for them. It was by faith that Abraham
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  offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him.
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  Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice
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  his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him Isaac is the
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  son through whom your descendants will be counted.
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  Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him
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  back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did
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  receive his son back from the dead.
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  It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the
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  future of his sons Jacob and Esau.
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  It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed
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  each of Joseph's sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his
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  staff. It was by faith that Joseph,
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  when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of
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  Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take
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  his bones with them when they left.
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  It was by faith that Moses parents hid him for three
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  months. When he was born, they saw that
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  God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid
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  to disobey the King's command. It was by faith that Moses, when
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  he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
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  He chose to share the oppression of God's people.
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  Instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.
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  He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ
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  and to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead
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  to his great reward. It was by faith that Moses left
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  the land of Egypt, not fearing the King's anger.
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  He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who
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  was invisible. It was by faith that Moses
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  commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to
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  sprinkle blood on the door posts so that the Angel of death would
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  not kill their first born sons. It was by faith that the people
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  of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on
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  dry ground, but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they
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  were all drowned. It was by faith that the people
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  of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days and the walls
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  came crashing down. It was by faith that Rahab the
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  prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who
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  refused to obey God, for she had given a friendly welcome to the
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  spies. How much more do I need to say?
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  It would take too long to recount the stories of faith of
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  Gideon, Barack, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and all
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  the prophets. By faith, these people overthrew
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  kingdoms, ruled with justice, and receive what God had
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  promised them. They shut the mouths of lines,
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  quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the
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  sword. Their weakness was turned to
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  strength. They became strong in battle and
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  put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones
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  back again from death, but others were tortured, refusing
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  to turn from God in order to be set free.
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  They placed their hope in a better life after the
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  resurrection. Some were jeered at and the
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  backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons.
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  Some died by stoning, some were sawn in half, and others were
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  killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of
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  sheep and goats. Destitute and oppressed and
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  mistreated, they were too good for this world, wandering over
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  deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
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  All these people earned a good reputation because of their
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  faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.
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  For God had something better in mind for us so that they would
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  not reach perfection without us. Ah, Jesus, we hear these
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  incredible stories of ordinary people hearing your prompting
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  and stepping out in faith. Holy Spirit, open the ears of
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  our heart. Open the eyes of our hearts so
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  that we can see You and hear You in Your prompting to us, and
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  then boldly step out in faith. And Lord, as we do that, give us
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  the knowledge that through these actions of faith, you may well
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  overthrow kingdoms, rule with justice, shut the mouths of
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  lines, and quench the flames of fire, because that is just all
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  in a day's work for you. But Lord, may we also know that
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  even though we step out in faith, sometimes it may not end
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  well and sometimes it may just feel empty and pointless and
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  frustrating and belittling. But Lord, we do it anyway.
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  Give us your persistence and bravery and strength and above
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  all, faith to continue to step out for you and live for you and
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  your Kingdom. And we look forward to the day
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  when we step from this life into your everlasting embrace.
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  O our loving, forgiving and kind God, We pray all of this through
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  the saving name of your Son, Jesus, Amen.