Living by Faith, Hebrews 11:13-29, Part 1

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. C.S. Lewis said, Aim at heaven, and you get earth thrown in.

Aim at earth, and you get neither. We're continuing a sub-series within our study of Hebrews called Living by Faith. Today, Pastor Rich shows from the text that people who live by faith move toward the goal. Our destination and our confident hope in God's promises are the frame of reference for life's circumstances and for our direction. Our certain future anchors us while narrowing and clarifying our purpose. Let's listen in. People living by faith.

A little bit of review as we get started. What we've considered already is two points. We will consider four altogether through the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. People living by faith have a single ambition, and that singular ambition is the pursuit of God. Secondly, people living by faith take action because there is an object of faith.

It is not wishful thinking. There is an object of faith, and they act upon the information that they have. People living by faith have a single ambition, the pursuit of God, and people living by faith take action. Finally, today, people living by faith move toward the goal. With the information that they have from the informer, God himself, people living by faith move toward the goal. Another way that could be said is that they keep their eyes on the prize.

They keep their gaze fixed on the objective. They live with the end in view. People living by faith live with the end in view, and that keeps them moving toward the objective, and rescues them from whatever would distract them from that. So you have a destination. We have a destination.

God has revealed that to us. That is why the singular ambition of people living by faith is the pursuit of God. God himself is our destination. What do we do then with that destination? That destination becomes the frame of reference by which everything else is examined. That is what it means to live by faith. So the people that we read about in the historic narrative of the Old Testament, and specifically here in Hebrews chapter 11 in the New Testament, their faith, the fact that they embraced truth because faith doesn't make something true, their faith embraces truth, their faith informs their destination where you end up, it also informs their location where you are now, but their faith also informs their direction. The aim, the attitude, the ambition of their lives.

So that that destination becomes the frame of reference by which everything else is examined. We see that example before us. We saw that example just portrayed. People living by faith. So what we are called to do then is to envision, to embrace, and to examine.

We'll just consider this briefly. But what you need to do then is envision the end of your life. Envision your destination. And it's actually a misnomer to call it the end of your life because you have within you that which is called life which is a continuum. It does not end because that life comes from an infinite God. Regardless of your status, you will exist forever.

The question is, what will be the condition of that existence? So envision now the destination that God has revealed to you. These that we have before us.

In Hebrews chapter 11, God gave them promises. He said, this is where I am taking you. God has revealed promises to you and me. He says to us, this is where I am taking you. And you and I need to, according to the revelation of God and in faith, envision that destination to where God is taking us. The end of your life here on earth.

Envision that. And if you are living by faith, that becomes your frame of reference by which everything else is examined. What is the information that we have?

Let's consider it just a smattering of it very briefly. John 14, Jesus said, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go, I will come again to receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also. Well, where is Christ? His prayer to the Father in John chapter 17 was that He recognized that He came, He understood that He came from the Father and He was going back to the Father. The place that He wanted to be more than anything else is in the presence of the Father. And He knows that for you and me, according to our design created in the image of God, the place that we would want to be more than anywhere else is in the very presence of God. And He's offered that to us. He's offered the means for us to achieve that. Romans chapter 8 speaks of our glory.

Did you get that? Notice the pronoun, our glory, not His, our glory. Our glory is the glory of God. That's what brings Him glory.

But Paul said in Romans chapter 8, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. And what does he say in verse 29? Whom God foreknew He also called, whom He called these He also justified, whom He justified, these He also what?

Glorified. For you and me, in God's mind, from God's perspective, we are there. We are with Him because we are His. And it is our glory that is His objective which brings Him glory. Our glory is to be forever with Him just like His Son, Jesus Christ. Christians envision that and let that become the frame of reference by which everything else is examined. What else do the Scriptures say? Peter says very clearly, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. What a powerful truth that is, that God has an inheritance stored up for me in Christ. That is my end.

That is my destination. What does He say in 1 John, the Apostle John says under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, behold what manner of love that we should be called the sons of God. It has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. The day will come when you are face to face with Jesus Christ, your Creator, your Redeemer.

What do the Scriptures teach us about this? Here is a way that you can envision your end. My Creator, Redeemer, my Heavenly Father is taking me to the place He wants me. And where is that place?

What is that place? Let's quote from the Psalms now, in His presence is fullness of joy, at His right hand are pleasures evermore. I will be satisfied when I awake with His likeness. That is my end. That then becomes the frame of reference by which I examine everything else. This is what people living by faith did in the Scriptures. This is what you and I living by faith do. We move toward the goal. We live with the end in view.

Not only do we envision, but we embrace as it says here that they embraced the promises. These all died in faith, verse 13, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. So when I know my destination and I entrust myself to those promises, and those promises become the frame of reference by which I examine everything else, then that means I embrace my location as Abraham embraced his.

He embraced the obedience. And your location is your identity and the path leading to the destination. The Bible calls us as people of faith that we are strangers and pilgrims on this earth.

What does that mean? We don't belong here. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m. .